In fact, the series of changes in the development of human history were inseparable from the relationship between people and the land, that is, the relationship between productivity and population. The productivity naturally had a corresponding system and population development law.
Naturally, if the productivity was unlimited, then the whole society would naturally enter the ideal state of "Great Harmony" and distribute according to needs.
Unfortunately, this was impossible. At least, it was impossible for Leon. In fact, even the Human Empire of the Emperor could not do it.
Relatively speaking, the evolution of the system also had to be gradual with the evolution of productivity, and not be full of certain ideas without considering any reality and national conditions. This was a mistake of dogmatism.
In this world, was the contradiction between the nobles and the serfs the fundamental contradiction?
No, the fundamental contradiction faced by the humans in this world was the contradiction of survival. Under tremendous external pressure, both the nobles and the serfs knew how to tolerate it. The knights and nobles knew that they could not force the serfs to the point where they could not survive, and there would be relief and food relief. The serfs also knew that without the knights, they had no way to resist the invasion of evil, so they restrained their own plight and exploitation.
It could only be said that Brittany took a different route from the Empire. The Empire originated from the rise of human tribes, and a group of barbarians built an Empire in blood and fire. Brittany was built by the Breton horsemen who crossed the Grey Mountains and fought twelve wars since the founding of the country. The first Knight King and the twelve first Knights of the Holy Grail were nobles. The different founding methods determined the fundamental differences in the system.
Laing knew that the Lady of the Lake's worries were not unfounded. Although the system of redeeming the serfs could allow the nobles to obtain a lot of compensation in the short term, in essence, it still tilted the balance in favor of the serfs. In a way, it robbed the knights and nobles of their assets.
Many of the knights and nobles were not really stupid. They could see that.
However, Laing also had his own considerations and advantages.
First of all, Laing's reputation in the kingdom and even in the old world had reached its peak. Over the years, he was like a firefighter who helped the whole kingdom solve its internal and external problems. He was the kingdom's hero, and his great prestige made the dukes not dare to directly oppose his decisions.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, the Knight's Kingdom was facing tremendous external pressure just like the Empire. The Red Profit Period when Egil Redeye was killed was over. Starting from this year, Colona, Le-Angouland, and Lyonasser, along the northern coast, had been invaded by the Nordica's longships, and the frequency was increasing.
In this situation, the serfs and nobles were willing to compromise. In this world, the most important thing was to survive.
Finally, there was the problem of the dwarves' irrigation works and the promotion of new farming tools. In the past few years, Bellegar and his Angrend clan had contracted for almost all the irrigation works in Brittany and the promotion of new farming tools. To put it simply, there was no need for so many serfs in the fields.
Then, the key was how to calculate the price of redeeming the serfs. If the price was too high, the nobles would naturally be willing, but this policy did not have much meaning because the serfs could not afford it. If the price was too low, the nobles would definitely not accept it.
The Lady of the Lake walked into the bedroom. It was the end of October, and the weather in the tower of the Lady of the Lake was gradually covered in cold air. The Lady of the Lake was dressed simply and elegantly today. She walked around the room in her milky white shoes. The Lady of the Lake frowned her beautiful golden eyebrows and pointed at Laing's forehead. "The price of the serfs must not be too low, or even I can't help you."
"That's right, Laing. You should know that the gods belong to the gods, and the mortals belong to the mortals." Morgiana added, "If all the dukes object to this, even the Lady's oracle won't be able to help you."
"The price cannot be too low." Laing gave it some thought and said, "My suggestion is that it can't be achieved with just one or two years of hard work. Also, different duchies have different economic standards, so there can't be a uniform standard. How about this? In my fief, the price for each serf is 15 crowns. If it's for the whole family, including parents, wives and children, it'll be 50 crowns per household. What do you think?"
The Lady of the Lake gave it some thought and nodded. "If that's the price, it should be acceptable. Most of the serfs in your fief are rich. Some of them can afford it."
"Then, we'll test it out in my fief and Winford. Don't spread it throughout the country for now." Laing breathed a sigh of relief when the Lady of the Lake agreed. "My fief and François' fief are the wealthiest in the kingdom, followed by Bordero. If everything goes well, we'll spread it throughout the country."
"Looks like you've thought it through very well, my champion." The Lady of the Lake nodded approvingly. She walked to the window and looked out into the distance. "I just want to remind you not to let the serfs think it's too easy to gain their freedom. At the same time, you can't let the knights and nobles think that even if the serfs become free, they can still do whatever they want to them. You have to be careful. Don't end up like your Knight of the Scorching Sun, who almost lost control of his subordinates."
"Yes, that's right." Morgiana had always obeyed the Lady of the Lake's will.
Morgiana was referring to Juan Carlos, the Baron of Muxillon Dukedom, when Laing wasn't around.
After Juan became a Baron, he started to govern his fief. He invested all the loot from the war and the money given by Laing into his fief. Just like Laing, he recruited serfs and built infantry battalions. At the same time, he used his amazing diplomatic skills to persuade the Wood Elves to join the war.
At the beginning, it was tough. Juan's fief was newly built, and his fief had serious security issues. The Vampires lingered around the Orphan Hill, the Skaven Ratmen at the foot of the Orphan Hill, and the Orc tribes in the Arden Forest appeared from time to time. Even Biokari Castle, which was the governing area, couldn't be completely free from the flames of war. Juan constantly initiated security battles. He noticed that the serfs were having a hard time fighting, so he increased their welfare. Besides providing food and lodging, he also gave them extra pay.
Juan's kindness didn't make the serfs grateful. On the contrary, the serfs became lazy and unwilling to fight. After they enjoyed the benefits and extra pay in the barracks, they lost interest in fighting. Even if they were sent to the battlefield, they would slack off.
Juan soon discovered this problem. He discovered that due to the high pay, the soldiers weren't willing to fight to the death, and their fighting power was declining. The young Baron decisively ordered the disbandment of the infantry battalions, which almost led to a mutiny. If the Wood Elves hadn't helped Juan suppress the mutiny, he would have been stuck in a tavern!
It was only then that Juan realized why Ryan strictly controlled the welfare and pay of his serf infantry. The weekly pay of more than a dozen copper coins was just enough for them to go to the bar once a week on their rest day and relax.
Want to get rich? Want to be promoted? Want to have a drink at the bar frequently to improve their lives?
Work hard in the war!
In the end, Morgiana intervened and hanged more than ten serfs in one breath. The ending was not only what Morgiana wanted to see, but also what Juan and Muxilon did not want to see. In the end, it was a three-loss situation. When Juan tried to recruit new troops, the serfs in the territory were no longer willing to believe the baron's sincerity, nor were they willing to accept the end of the cancellation of their benefits. There were even rumors in private that Juan, a baron from outside the territory, was not good enough.
When Laing heard about this, he only smiled. This was a trial on the road to growth. He hoped that Juan could learn from it.
"I understand, my lady." Laing stood up and walked to the side of the Lake Fairy. He looked at the thick fog outside the tower with her. "I know very well. One of my brothers once said that no matter how great the reward is, it is meaningless if it can be obtained without challenge."
"Very well." The Lake Fairy took the initiative to hold Laing's arm. The Goddess opened her mouth. She suddenly realized that she had nothing to teach Laing.
This was not bad. He was growing faster and faster. When she first met Laing, he was just a little knight who needed her help. Now, he had grown into a big tree. Not only did he support the entire kingdom, but he could also protect her.
The Lake Fairy let her ankle-length golden hair fall to the ground. She pulled Laing to sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The two chatted by the fireplace. Looking at the fire and the burning wood, the Goddess and Laing discussed the details in detail. Morgiana talked for a while and then went to rest.
Laing explained his thoughts to the Lake Fairy. He believed that too much welfare was not good for society.
Of course, Laing's original intention was not to say that people should not have welfare. He would not say that 996 was a blessing from his previous life. If it was not 996, then it would not be my brother. That was nonsense. It was completely from the capitalist's point of view. It was obviously the capitalist's malicious intimidation, coercion, and temptation to the workers. They used words like love, blessing, hard work, and social responsibility to avoid the important points and dwell on the trivial. They twisted the main points to cover their ugly true colors.
Laing believed that too much welfare would have an extreme negative impact on people's work enthusiasm and labor efficiency.
For example, a famous ancient country in his previous life.
How good was the welfare of this ancient country?
Free medical care, free education, fourteen months of salary a year, one month of paid leave every year, and pension from the age of 40.
But what happened? No one worked hard. Everyone was busy enjoying the welfare. Anyway, they enjoyed the same benefits whether they worked hard or not. Who would work hard?
Debt crisis, economic collapse.
People were lazy.
Speaking of this, Laing asked the Lake Fairy, "Lilith, is it the same in Ossouin? People enjoy high welfare and high income? There is no distinction between nobles and commoners? "
"What? Laing, my champion, you still want to visit Ossouin? " The Lake Fairy smiled. She enjoyed this time alone with Laing too much. Hearing Laing's question, the Goddess swung her pair of beautiful black silk legs back and forth. She took Laing's hand and gently tapped on his palm with her delicate finger. "The society of the High Elves is not something that can be imitated by humans, Laing."
"If there is a chance to visit Ossouin, why not?" Laing said with interest. "It is said that the capital of the High Elves, Lothar, is the most glorious and greatest city in the world. The Phoenix King's Court and the Assuyan Main Shrine are both built there."
"Nobles and commoners? You think too much. The High Elves are more particular about bloodline and family lineage than any other race. In the eyes of the High Elves, bloodline is everything. Lothar now has more foreigners than locals … Assuyan's shrine is built on a small island outside Lothar, not inside the city. " The Lake Fairy thought for a moment and shook her head. "But I am sure that Assuyan will not welcome you. Not only will he not let you enter his main shrine, he will even ask the captain of the Phoenix Guards, Karjoin, to expel you."
"Why?" Laing was puzzled.
"You are now a threat to him, and Assuyan will definitely not like you. He will only let the person he likes into his shrine to see the series of murals and prophecy scrolls he left behind." The Lake Fairy seemed to be full of disgust for Assuyan. "You desire change, you desire to stop tragedy and destruction from happening, and Assuyan believes that the end of everything in the world is already decided. He hates anyone who interferes with the established path. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Then do we just sit there and wait for death?" After hearing the Lake Fairy's words, Laing recalled the actions of the High Elven Main God of Heaven and was speechless.
"Assuyan believes that everything in the world has its own established law from birth to destruction, and the gods should not interfere." The Lake Fairy nodded. "Assuyan has long prophesied that the evil gods of Chaos will destroy everything in the world, and the final moment will bring the world to an end. Ten thousand years ago, he engraved all the history of the High Elves on the murals, including the betrayal of the Shaman King Malecis. However, all the High Elves who have seen the murals and prophecy scrolls must swear to serve Assuyan for life and remain silent. It is more like a curse because no High Elves can escape from it.
"So we can only rely on ourselves." Laing nodded. He understood what the Lake Fairy meant.
"If you just want to visit Lothar, that's fine. But if you want to be welcomed, respected, and discussed over there to fight against Chaos, don't even think about it." The Lake Fairy coldly told Laing the bloody truth. "The achievements you are proud of are not worth mentioning in front of the High Elves. War Lord Tyrion will not listen to you, not even a word. You will not see Alariel either. 'Lowly' humans will never step into the palace of the Eternal Queen of Avalon unless they invade. The same goes for Azarion the Grim and Imric, Prince of Kaldor. Instead of wasting your time on the High Elves, you might as well place your hopes on your Dark Elf maid and see if she can command the Pale Queen's army and elite executioners."
"Hahahaha …" Laing even laughed out loud. "I understand now. I was overthinking, Lilith."
"If Asu was willing to listen to me, many tragedies would not have happened. If the Elven Gods could put down their pride and prejudice and unite, then the mortal world would at least have a better chance of winning. But I was disappointed again and again. In the end, I chose to come to Brittany and changed from Lilith, the Goddess of the Moon to the Lake Fairy for the New World Project." The Lake Fairy sighed and said, "It's all good now. The plan for the new world has burst like a bubble of a beautiful dream because of you and your father."
"Running away won't solve the problem, Lilith." Laing held the armrest of the sofa and looked at the fire in the fireplace. "What's your next plan? Do you need my help? "
"I don't have a plan now, but I have an idea." The Fairy in the Lake gently tidied up her skirt. She kicked off the high heels on her black stockings, hugged her knees, and curled up on the sofa. "Ryan, you'll support me with all your strength, won't you?"
"Tell me what you think first." Laing complained. "Otherwise, I'll always be worried. My lady, you always have a lot of ideas."
"I'm thinking that maybe we can find a chance to steal Asu's divine fire!" The Lake Fairy's beautiful oval face showed a hint of slyness. "Since Asu doesn't want to do anything and doesn't want to do his best, then we'll find a way to replace him!"
"Laing, let's create a new Asu together!"
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